A week ago, Saturday one of our Hamilton Creek Shipmates lost his life in a boating accident on Percy Priest Lake. Apparently, he went forward on the boat to attend to something and fell into the water. His wife was unable to get him back into the boat and despite the efforts of several nearby boaters and TWRA crews, he could not be resuscitated. I won’t speculate on the cause of the incident, but we do know that he wasn’t wearing a Personal Flotation Device (Lifejacket). It's not possible to say that a PFD would have saved a life in this instance, but it might have!

We have also had several scary man-overboard events during Percy Priest racing events over the past few years. Fortunately, everyone involved was wearing a PFD and recovered safely.

Many of you may also be aware of the recent tragic sailing camp accident in Miami. A barge collided with a sailboat resulting in three young girls losing their lives. There is question as to whether the barge saw the sailboat before the collision. All boats should be diligent about having a proper lookout while under way.

Be careful out there! Don’t assume that the other boat sees you or knows the navigation rules. Wearing a lifejacket is WAY more useful that having one somewhere on the boat.

The U.S. Coast Guard stats indicate that around 85% of drowning victims were not wearing a lifejacket. Given that only 25% of boaters routinely wear a lifejacket, your odds are MUCH better with one. The safest lifejacket is always the one you wear. They are making them much more comfortable these days.

In my 28-year Coast Guard career, I can never recall hearing of a drowning victim being recovered wearing a PFD.


Be Careful Out There,

George Heintz
Commodore
Captain, United States Coast Guard, Retired